(On the tomb of) Ephrem Tamiru

no he’s not dead yet (as if he ever could
pass on or away from this winged world

Ephrem Tamiru! tell us what you think re
Anchin Kalmeselesh or else just th sax

(sax slow and shark-like snarls through
an Asmara bar to hit Thomas Keneally

cold in the nose like a sweet tea might
were it to care for snark or saxophone

dreams thoughtful as hammond organ
licks kicking the Amharic dawn (was it

Amharic, Ephrem? what did yr words
mean on 1975 cassette tapes Ephrem

i feel kind of bad for the Blogger-files
downloading yr trax frantically to play

to get th info (titles translations set-list
Ephrem’s sound worlds unfurling slow

as Stevie Wonder’s imagination (you
were Ethiopia’s Stevie, always will be

mine what does it mean Atawquatim
the drums tell me what it all means

can’t go back now to my indie daze
got me Ephrem in th mound of love

in the mouth a super-Saharan man
pre-beat jazz combo smoking suits

preserved in shellac Youtube amber
i want to die in the arms of my lover

while she plays the sax on track six
whatever it’s called i guess you don’t

accept PayPal, Ephrem but i want to
breathe in all the radio transmissions

from Eritrea from the back of a stage
blasting Ephrem Tamiru onto the page